During conventional substrate processing, layers of material are formed on top of each other. Such layers may have surface undulations. As a result, layers being formed may be deformed by a previously formed layer. To reduce this effect, conventional semiconductor processes may employ a polishing process such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) or another suitable method. Such methods may employ a polishing pad to remove a portion of the layer so as to reduce the undulations.
The polishing process may employ, in addition to the polishing pad, a mixture of abrasive particles and fluid (e.g., slurry). The abrasive particles and the material being removed from the layer may become embedded in the polishing pad. Such embedded material may dislodge from the polishing pad and scratch the wafer. To remove such undesirable material, a conditioning disk may be employed. The conditioning disk may rotate while pressing the polishing pad with a force. However, the conditioning disk may apply a force and rotate at a speed that may not be controlled or well known. Thus, such a conditioning disk may not optimally remove a portion of the embedded material, thereby reducing the useful life of the polishing pad. Accordingly, there is a need to control the force and rotation of the conditioner pad.